Passwords and other types of security credentials are generally required to access protected or secured computer resources. For example, a security credential may be required to access a secure computer network, unlock a hard drive, or initiate booting or power-on of a computer system.
However, security credentials may comprise long and/or complex alphanumeric character strings or other types of information that may be difficult to remember by a user attempting to access a secure computer resource. When a security credential for accessing a secure computer resource is forgotten, the user generally requires the assistance of support personnel to either recover or reset the security credential (i.e., via the Internet, intranet, or by telephone communication). However, the corresponding support personnel may be unavailable to assist the user in recovering or resetting the security credential, or contacting the corresponding support personnel may be inconvenient and time-consuming. Additionally, obtaining the assistance of support personnel may be increasingly difficult if access to the secure computer resource is required or helpful in obtaining the assistance of the support personnel. Further, unmanaged security credentials (i.e., security credentials not stored in any central repository) are generally unrecoverable centrally by information technologies personnel.